Archive Mode. Call Big Art Show 2023 ended on 02/06/2023, 16:30. Call settings are read only. See Current Open Calls
I have a long-standing love of portraiture and, whilst not currently part of my regular practice, sometimes I find myself with people or in situations which give me an urge to paint faces again.
For "Mechanisms", this was two break-ups and an extended period of unchecked mental health which came to a tipping point. We all have ways of coping, both with the everyday and in times of crisis, which aren't always healthy and that we sometimes aren't even aware of. I've had to think a lot about my own coping mechanisms recently which is explored in this bittersweet self portrait, the making of which being an act of therapy in itself. It reflects ways that we cope, good and bad: being with nature, escaping into fantasy, drinking, and knowing when you need to cry.
